Round 2: Will Gen-6 cars produce rock-'em, sock-'em action at DIS?

In February, the brand new NASCAR racecar didn't produce the type of give-and-take we've come to expect at Daytona. Will July be different?

KEN WILLISSPORTS COLUMNIST

The last time we saw NASCAR action at Daytona – action wasn't exactly the order of the day.

The 2013 Daytona 500 marked the debut of NASCAR's Generation 6 racecar. Everyone, it seemed, was on board the promotional train. The new cars were fast, they handled flawlessly, and perhaps best of all for those who sell the sport, there was a certain cool factor.

The Gen-6 cars were deemed cool largely because, unlike the previous generation of NASCAR “stock” cars, the new rides adopted the shape and look of their showroom counterparts. Strip away the decals and some additional sheet metal and, on the outside, Carl Edwards' No. 99 Fusion looks a lot like the one you can buy at the local Ford dealership.

But then, the Daytona 500 started and it became apparent the Gen-6 cars, at least when it comes to Daytona, weren't ready to produce the type of side-by-side, rock-'em and sock-'em rumble fans crave at the sport's biggest event.

NASCAR officials and the drivers stressed patience, and sure enough, about two months later, they went to Daytona's sister track, Talladega Superspeedway, and turned the race into the type of free-for-all that's become common at NASCAR's two restrictor-plate tracks.

“Absolutely, you've seen it at Talladega, and Talladega and Daytona really aren't that different, when it comes to the style of racing.”

CLINT BOWYER

What are your Daytona expectations?

“I think Daytona Round 2 in the heat of the season will present a lot different racing than we had for the 500. I think it's going to be wild racing. Usually, when we go back in July, it is quite a bit different.”

DANICA PATRICK

What are your Daytona expectations?

“It's hard to say. I think we've seen the racing can change from the 500, to the Coke Zero 400 just because the conditions are so different. Obviously, it's much warmer and the race is at night, so that changes things up. But until we get out there and draft a bit, it's going to be hard to say. I think we'll put a great race on for the fans, though.”

RODNEY CHILDERS

Crew chief for Michael Waltrip

How key is handling at Daytona in July?

“You'll see the good-handling cars kind of stand out. We'll have to go down there and really get the car where it handles well, and it's good around other cars. Then, it's hard to say how the race is going to play out. There's going to be a lot of guys who still want to ride around and save their car for the end, and then there are other guys who want to lead every lap.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON

On the occasional long stretches of single-file racing you see at tracks like Daytona:

“People underestimate the driver's desire to finish. There are a lot of times we are running single-file because we just want to get in 350 miles of a 400-mile race before you crash. You work too hard to go down there and crash 10 or 15 laps into the race. A lot of times, the single-file racing is just due to the drivers being patient.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP

On his Daytona expectations:

“At Talladega, it was a free-for-all – a lot of side-by-side racing, a lot of passing and a lot of action. At Daytona earlier in the year, we struggled passing. It will be interesting to see what the drivers have learned and what the teams have learned in order to be able to allow us to drive from 20th to first, like we were able to do at Talladega.”